Art, Painting and Pilates holidays, South West France

PLEASE INQUIRE OR MAKE YOUR BOOKING NOW FOR 2018.

Come and join our friendly group of painters in the Tuscany of France. We offer various courses throughout the year, tutored by visiting artists.

Courses are informal and fun but informative and productive and offer tuition and guidance in various mediums including pastels, oil, acrylic, water colour, ink and mixed media and will suit all abilities from complete beginners to more experienced painters.

The 7 night Painting holidays consists of a total 25 hours of painting tuition. Groups will be of 4 - 10, which ensures students will get plenty of individual quality tuition. Tutors are all professional artists and experts in their respective areas and courses are tailored to suit the individual.

The large, light and airy studio is fully equipped with everything to get you going.

The 10 night painting holiday includes all the activities and excursions included with the 7 day holiday but includes an extra 5 hours of painting instruction and leaves more free time to top up your tan, relax completely and enjoy.

The 5 night 'Painting and Pilates' holiday in August will be tutored by Artist Jill Whaley with twice daily sessions of Pilates offered by teacher and fitness instructor Helen Fenton.

This holiday has more emphasis on relaxation and wellbeing and will leave more time between painting tuition to enjoy the facilities at La Salle or enable artists to continue projects independently. The studio and equipment is available at all times.

The holiday will consist of 8 hours of painting sessions and 4 - 6 hours of Pilates and a 2 hour relaxation session in our local thermal Spa with jacuzzi, massage jets, Hammam and Sauna.

See 'Itinerary' for a full schedule of activities and outings for both the 7 and 5 day holidays. Please note minor alterations may be necessary due to weather.

There will be lots of opportunity to work 'en plein air' either in the garden here at La Salle, in the lanes nearby or in our local village, St Puy with its beautiful old stone buildings, Chateau, Church and open views out towards the mountain range of the Pyrenees. There will also be opportunities to visit some of the many beautiful villages located nearby such as the walled village of St Orens Pouy Petit with its arched gateway and Chateau and magnificent views, the World Heritage site at La Romieu with its stone cats and Collegiale or the hilltop village of Laverdens. Transport is provided for all painting excursions.

Alternatively some teaching sessions may take place in the large studio, or on the covered terrace which doubles as an outdoor studio depending on the weather. The spacious studio is well equipped with easels, boards, tables, chairs, jars, rags and thinners. Students should bring their own supports, brushes, pencils and the painting medium of their choice.

There is a small selection of paints, drawing materials and pastels available to students who wish to experiment with different media and a selection of small and medium size canvases to purchase on arrival which can easily be packed in your luggage for your return home.

Pilates over looking the pool at the end of the day. Mats available.

A visit to the beautiful gardens of Latour-Marliac will be included in your stay. This is where Claude Monet purchased the Water Lilies from which he developed his water gardens at Giverny and which inspired him to paint 'Les Nympheas'. The Japanese bridge similar to the one at Giverny is a nod to him.

The vibrant colours and reflections are truly magical and inspirational. The statue in the gardens shows Latour-Marliac holding a Lilie and a paintbrush. 'This is what he would use to transfer pollen from one variety to another. The sculptor uses this device to point out that both Monet and Latour-Marliac used a paintbrush to bring into colourful being their trademark waterlilies'.

The Cistercian Abbaye de Flaran, a short drive away which exhibits the Simonov Collection featuring works by Masters such as Picasso, Toulouse Lautrec, Modigliani, Renoir, Cezanne, Monet and Rodin.

The spacious and light studio, fully equipped with easels, tables chairs and boards is open at all times for your use. There are tea and coffee making facilities and a large sink for cleaning palettes and brushes.

A poem about us by Betty

We came to St Puy and I have to say,

This house near Condom is the best place to stay,

Your comfort is paramount - the food is sublime,

Cooked by Jill, assisted by Tina, Ken and Terry, it arrives on time.

We go out in the country, the Tuscany style,

Then lunch out locally, and after a short while,

Of sketching things around you, there's lots you can do,

Before going back to the lovely chateau.

Not all see the scenery on the way back,

Some heads are rolling, dozing,

Yes, there's Zzzs in the back.

All except John, he has lots to say,

In fact he can tell you who played, starred in, wrote it, mimed, stood in for and acted in many a play.

We've had so much fun being all back together,

We have painted, in fact done it all, in spite of the weather.

So thanks go to all for having us here,

And if it's not too much trouble,

Can we come back next year?

This stall in the local market at Lectoure is a must. Stop and sample some of the delicious olives flavoured with herbs, lemon, spices, anchovies and chilli.

A visit to a local market will be included in your stay. If you can tear yourself away from the delicious smells and fresh goods available, you might want to take the opportunity to purchase a gift in one of the lovely shops selling artisan produce or sketch the magnificent views from here.

Some of the lovely comments made by a regular visiting Art Group from Nottingham.